As the title states I am curious to see how long everyone would run a power supply before they would swap it out.

To keep variables down lets say it is a quality power supply (a mix of various good caps in it), running 16hrs a day (12hrs low load, say 10-15% of max, and 4 hrs high load, lets go with 80% of max). Doesn't matter if over time the rest of the system gets upgraded with the same power supply or if the system stays the same we will say the loads and usage hours remain constant and you have no need for a more powerful power supply. It has all the connectors you will ever need. Pretend that over time the system hold some value....you don't want the computer to fry.

Avenger212

January 3, 2012 07:15 AM

I would say I will just leave it until it dies, or it reaches to a point were it can no longer accommodate the latest technology. For example if a graphics card manufacturer started making Gfx with 10pin power requirements instead of the old 8pin or 6pin.

stoanee

January 3, 2012 07:34 AM

Till death do us part.

frontier204

January 3, 2012 07:49 AM

I'm folding on an Earthwatts 375W that my friends bought in 2007 and later gave back to me. It didn't come with an 8-Pin CPU so I took the wires out of the PCI-E 6-pin and attached them to the 8-pin plug of a 8-pin CPU extension cable. (breaking several paper clips in the process)
If you're careful about how the rails are distributed you can extend the life of the PSU by finding creative ways to accomodate the new connectors.

Note that in my answer "dies" also means any form of instability or very bad efficiency due to something getting old. However I won't say you have to replace any component after X time - it's not like laptop batteries or something that degrade after 1-3 years.

m0pelley99

January 3, 2012 08:04 AM

I wouldn't really run a power supply for longer than 5 years unless I'm confident of the manufacturer.

I bought a 500W Silverstone Element I'd say more than 3 years ago, and the only problem I've had was the fan giving out. But even that wasn't due to it failing, only due to a piece of silicon getting stuck in it. All it did was overheat and shut off. Fixed the problem, booted back up fine.

I've had that same Silverstone Element go through 3 sets of parts, no problem.

Soultribunal

January 3, 2012 10:41 AM

3 Years for me. Given the current state of platform changes and upgrades there is always bigger and better out there. Its all about efficeny and stability.

-ST

BrainEater

January 3, 2012 10:47 AM

AS long as it's a high quality PSU , and it's not run too hot , they will last indefinitely.

:thumb:

chrisk

January 3, 2012 11:20 AM

I voted 2 years, not because I think a PSU is bad by then, but for some reason I end up buying one every couple of years or so.

Agreed with ST..when a new platform comes out that improves efficiency, and a manuf makes it modular and looks good to boot, I usually end up jumping on it.

Otherwise, I would say 3-4 years of constant use at 60-70% for a quality psu would be comfortable for me. I would not wait for it to die myself.

SGardiner

January 3, 2012 11:30 AM

My Corsair 620HX has been running strong in two different rigs and 4 video card upgrades over the past 4+ years. Run until fail.

Perineum

January 3, 2012 12:06 PM

I use them in one of my builds until they die.

Or... if one of my clients needs a build under a budget I will sometimes sell one of my PSUs to them and upgrade mine to a newer, more efficient one.